Hydrostatic computing-scale.



No. 674,571. Pa tented May 2!, man s. BENGSTON.

HYDROSTATIC COMPUTING SCALE.

(Application filed. Sept. 18, 1899) (No Model.)

' FIG. 1.

I I I I l I/ arr h? 4110x212- m: new: man: on. momumu. wunmavmi, n. c.

' poundsis indicated by liquid rising in one UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

SWANBENGSTON; OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

HYDROSTATIC C OM PUTlNG-SCALE.

SPECIFIGATION formingpart of Letters latent No. 674,571, dated May 21, 1901.

Application filed September 18, 1899. Serial No. 730,390. (No model.)

To an whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SWAN BENGSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul,

in the county of Ramsey and State of Minne sota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydrostatic Computing- Scales; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to hydrostatic co inputing-scales; and the objects of the invention are, first, to provide a hydrostatic computingscale in which a lever mechanism reduces the pressure on the liquid, andthereby dispenses with great height of the indicating-tubes; second, to provide a hydrostatic computingscale with revoluble cost-indicating rollers standing parallel with the indicating-tubes; third, to provide a weighing-scale in which the heavy part of the goodssay all in excess of ten poundsis weighed by lever. mechanism, beam and poise, while the lighter and exact weightsay all weight less than-ten or more tubes, and, fourth, to combine in such scale revoln ble and stationary scales or indicators in a manner rendering it easy to find the weight and cost indicated by either or both the poise and the liquid. These and other objects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top or plan view ofmyimproved scale. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of Fig. 1 with the front side of the lower and box-like portion of the frame cut out to expose the lower mechanism of the or scale bearing rollers and the means where- I by they are connected and operated, all numerals on the rollers being omitted both in this view and in Fig. 11. Fig. 7 is a top view of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 0 0 in Fig. 2. are modifications of Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a vertical section on the line cl (1 in Fig. 2 looking from right to left.

Referring to the various parts in the drawings by letters of reference, A is a casing or box, of which B forms the bottom, and is the base or foot of the scale. In the front portion of the cover 0 of said box is a large opening D D, (see Fig. 4,) up through which project the corner-pieces E of a frame F, which rests with its notches G upon the supportingarms H of the two yokes I and J, which are supported in the'hangers K, pivotally secured underneath the cover C.

L and M are levers secured at N, one to each yoke. These levers overlap each other and are loosely pivoted together by the pin 0. Near said pin 0 the lever L is provided with an adjustment-screw P, the point ofwhich stands upon the blockQ, secured in the middle of the flexible cover R, made out of rubher, leather, or like materials and secured by the ring S and screws T upon the edges of the cylindrical vesselU, which is adapted to contain alcohol or other liquid, which is filled in through the pipe V, the plug W of which both closes the inlet and serves as a regulator by being screwed more or less down into the liquid, which is thereby driven into the vessel .until it rises to the normal or base point in the indicating-tubes Y, which extend upward through the rear portion of the cover C and stand close by'the front edges Z of the standards e, which may be semicylindrical, as in Fig. 8, almost cylindrical, as in Fig. 9, or divided into two grooved parallel bodies, as in Fig. 10.

X represents horizontal tubes connecting the tubes Y with the vessel U.

. The standardseare secured upon the framecover 0 and are united at their tops with a horizontal barf, which the glass tubes Y are secured in with their upper ends and communicate through the grooves g with the airchainber h in the upper side of the bar.

2 is a thin sheet of rubber spread over the grooves and chamber and secured at its edges Figs. 9 andlO by the cover f, which is secured by screws (not shown) upon the top of the barf and has a cavity or air-chamber h with an air-groovej, through which the air passes freely in and out when the rubber is vibrated up and down by the air underneath it, which is slightly increased or decreased, according as the liquid in the tubes rises or falls. The objects of the sheet '5 are to prevent evaporationof the liquid'and to keep it free from dust.

In the grooves of the standards 6 stand two upright rollers l0 and k, jonrnaled in the cover 0 and in the horizontal bar f. The upper ends of these rollers are connected to rotate in unison by the endless belt, cord, or chain 1, to which is secured the block m, sliding in the slot 'n of the plate 0, depending from the barf. 10 is a thumb-piece or handle for taking hold ofin moving the block and chain, so that the pointers q and r of the block will point to any desired price-indicating number above or below the said slot. In the present instance the prices 9 2 to 10v (cents) are marked above and the prices from 11 to 18 (cents per pound) below the slot; but it is obvious that any other prices may be marked thereon. Prices marked above the slot n are correspondingly marked on a circle around the upper end of the roller k, (preferably above the chain 1,) and the higher prices, marked below the slot n, are likewise marked around the upper end of the roller is, and in vertical rows below each price indicating number thus marked on the rollers and below the fingerst are marked the amounts at such price for one to ten pounds and fractions of pounds as may be indicated by the liquid in the tubes upon marks of pounds and fractions of pounds provided upon the front edge Z of each of the standards 6, as shown. Upon the lower cor.-

ner portion .9 of each end of the plate 0- are marked below each other the figures 10,

. 20, 30, and 40, which mean that many pounds, and opposite each of those figures are marked in circles around the adjacent roller the cost of that many pounds at the price shown above the cost-figure near the top of.

the roller. Thus in the present illustration it will be seen that the price 4 (cents per pound) is pointed out on the plate-o and shown near the top of the roller It, and directly below 4: is found 40 (cents) as the cost of 10 (pounds) on the plate or scale 3. Likewise 80, 120, and 160 on the roller show the cost at four cents of twenty, thirty, and forty pounds, while below the separatingfinger t the liquid indicates the cost of any Weight less than ten pounds, so that all the calculation the operator has to do is to add the amount below the finger t to the amount above it in the few instances where the weight exceeds ten pounds.

The mechanism by which ten, twenty, thirty, and forty pounds are weighed will now be described. The lever L, already mentioned, is extended to near the rear of the case A, where it is provided with a pivotallycover 0,.

secured hook it and clevis v, engaging the short arm of a yoke-shaped scale-beam w, mounted in the post 00, secured upon the The upper bar of this beam w is provided with the poise y,,which when moved to the Figs. 10, 20, &c., on they beam releases the screw l and cover Q R of that much pressure upon the liquid in the vessel U. The poise 2 on the lower bar of the beam w is the tare poise, used exclusively to balance the scoop or other vessel used to hold the article or goods to be weighed when the goods are not fit to put on the regular platform A which is held by the studs A in central position upon the frame F.

From the above descriptionit will be understood that in operation the clerk is prevented from making mistake of the proper roller on which to look for the costoof the goods weighed by the arrangement of the figures above and below the slot 71 of the plate 0 in a kind of zigzag order, and by having the rollers k and It so connected by their chain Z that when one roller is turned to show a scale of costs properly the other roller presents to View the marginal line between two scales, as shown to the right in Fig. 2. The lower pointer r is for the roller is, and the pointer q is for the roller 70, and each pointer when brought to a number on its'adjacent horizontal scale will hold only the proper scale on the proper roller in position for the clerk toread it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hydrostatic scale and mounted in a suitable frame, the combination with a liquidholding vessel having a hermetically closed, vibrating cover, supporting the platform of the scale and the article to be weighed, an upright, transparent tube communicating at its lower end with the vessel, a weight-indieating stationary scale near one side of the tube, an upright, revoluble rolleradjacent thereto, andhaving cost-indicating scales increasing by units and fractions of pounds, from the lower toward the upper end of the roller, and a price-indicating scaleincreasing peripherically around the upper end of the roller, said roller also having longitudinallyincreasing scales below each price-number in the peripherical scale, showing the cost of tens of pounds at the price-number above it; the rigid scale 8, adjacent said cost-scale of tens of pounds, and having numbers upon it increasing by tens, in the same direction as the cost-scale increases, and a lever mechan- ,1sm, scale-beam and poise connected with form, of two upright, transparent tubes cominunicating with the liquid in the vessel; an upright, upwardly-iucreasingweight-indicating scale or standard near each tube, the horizontal top bar f, connecting the upper ends of the standards, the two upright, price and cost indicating rollers 70 and 70 adjacent the tubes, and a cord, belt or chain connecting the two rollers so that they revolve in unison, and a catch or thumb-piece on the chain for operating it with, substantially as set forth.

3. In a hydrostatic computing-scale, the combination with a weighing-platform and a hermeticallyclosed, liquid holding vessel having a vibrating top supporting the platform, of two upright, transparent tubes communicating with the liquid in the vessel; an upright, upwardly-increasing weight-indicating scale or standard near each tube, the horizontal top bar f, connecting the tops of the standards, the two upright price and cost indicating rollers k and 70 adjacent each of the tubes; a cord, belt or chain connecting the two rollers so that they revolve in unison, and a catch or thumb-piece on the chain for operating it with; said top barf having the priceindicating plate 0, depending from its front side or edge and provided with a slot for the thumb-piece to guide in, and said thumbpiece having pointers adapted to be moved alternately one to the figures above and the other to the figures below the slot in the plate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SWAN BENGSTON. Witnesses:

A. M. CARLSEN, F. E. FUNK. 

